by Donald Wood
Last updated: 11:05 AM ET, Tue June 13, 2023
United Airlines announced that it had offered its pilots a
contract worth over $8 billion over four years, making it the largest labor
deal ever offered by a carrier in the United States.
According to Reuters.com,
United Airlines Holdings CEO Scott Kirby told Bloomberg News the offered deal has
“an incremental value in excess of $8 billion over four years.” Kirby also said
the company has been negotiating with the pilots’ union “weekly to reach a formal
agreement.”
While Kirby revealed the proposal would mark the largest labor
deal ever offered by an American airline, the CEO provided no further details “on
the value of the pay, benefits and quality-of-life improvements.”
Kirby did say the offer “would top the recent deals agreed
to by its two biggest rivals,” including the $7 billion in higher pay and
benefits offered by Delta
Air Lines to their pilots’ union earlier this year.
In recent months, pilots in North America have been pushing
for better pay and working conditions as shortages have caused significant
issues for airlines, forcing companies to meet employee demands.
In May, a new bipartisan bill was introduced in the U.S.
House of Representatives and Senate aimed at addressing the pilot shortage and
improving diversity in the years to come. The Flight
Education Access Act seeks to increase the limit for individuals taking out
student loans to pay for flight training while also increasing diversity within
pilot training programs.
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